Star Wars Episode VII: Missed Moments
by LeiaHestia
Summary: Originally, this was only going to be a one shot of a prologue to Star Wars Episode 7. However, Swoob was kind enough to follow my story (I neglected to select the 'complete' box) and it inspired me to expand this into a collection of one shots. After all, I loved The Force Awakens, but there were lots of moments we didn't get to see. Now rated T. Thank you to all my readers!
1. A Prologue

A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

Whether we realize it or not, all stories begin with one pivotal moment.

In a dimly lit hut on the desert planet Jakku, an old man studied the object he held in his hands. Ever since Luke Skywalker fled civilization, people from all over the galaxy searched for him. They were unsuccessful. Now, however, the last piece of the map had been found. If it could be brought to the resistance, they could find Luke Skywalker, and he could restore balance to the force. For the first time in many years, he could sense a change in the force. It was small, but it suggested that after so many years in darkness, there might still be light.

Rey dreamt of water. This in itself wasn't so odd. On Jakku, even the richest beings were perpetually thirsty. However, Rey admitted to herself that her dream _was_ frivolous, even for a dream. In it, she stood a great stone cliff, ringed by a few other reddish-brown bluffs. And in every direction, as far as the eye could see, spread deep blue water. The view was always breathtaking, even after having this dream often over the years. The air was cool and refreshing, and couldn't be more different from Jakku's harsh, choking gusts of wind. A place as heavenly as this couldn't possibly exist in the same universe as Jakku, yet Rey sensed that it _was_ a real place. She even knew what it was called: The land was an _island_ , and the massive body of water was called an _ocean._ But the very best part of the dream was how _at peace_ she felt. She never felt this safe or content on real life - at least, not that she could remember. Turning slowly to drink in the view, she spotted something new: a brown-robed figure standing at the top of a stone staircase. Rey should've felt fear - no stranger should be trusted - but instead she just felt even calmer. The man, if it was a man, faced away from her, so she couldn't see who it was. But she felt that he was someone she knew. If he just turned around, she could know for sure. _Turn around,_ she willed silently. As though he heard, he slowly turned to face her…

And then, Rey snapped awake. Disappointment flooded her, as it always did after having that dream, but this time it was because she never found out who the man was, instead of longing for a world she couldn't have. Yawning and stretching, Rey looked out of the window of the small ship she called home. Dawn was breaking over Jakku, too late to go back to sleep. As Rey got dressed, she mulled over the dream some more. The cloaked man was intriguing, she thought, especially because she felt that he knew him. She couldn't stop the next thought she had: could the man be her father? After so many years alone, she couldn't be certain. Still, the dream gave her hope. She wondered what the other Jakku locals would say if she told them about her dream. On Jakku, _hope_ sounded as crazy as _ocean._ So Rey kept the dream to herself, a precious moment that kept her going during the long, hot Jakku days. Even if she wanted to share the dream with someone, she had no one to share it with. Her eyes passed over the recording wall, where she marked the number of days she had been on Jakku. There were thousands of marks on that wall…

Rey shook her head. It did no good thinking about what could've been. There was only now. And now, she had to make her rounds, scavenging metal to make a living. Still, she reflected, she had a good feeling about today. Something was going to change for the better. _Right,_ snorted the little voice in her head, _and maybe Unkar Plutt won't cheat you out of your profit._ And with that happy thought, Rey went outside to face another day on Jakku.

Stormtrooper FN 2187 was afraid. That wasn't good. _Afraid_ was forbidden. _Afraid_ had no place in the First Order. Yet he couldn't lie to himself, for fear was definitely what he was feeling as he boarded the shuttle to Jakku. Not so his comrades. They weren't scared of the oncoming battle, far from it: A better word would be excited, perhaps _elated._ He tried to stand straight and look powerful, as a proper stormtrooper should. He held his breath as his reporting leader, Captain Phasma, stalked by. Once she passed, he relaxed. As he listened to the muffled but excited chatter of his comrades, he decided he better keep his fear to himself.

The closer the ship got to Jakku, the bigger the knot in his stomach became. He was no soldier. He was no warrior. He worked sanitation on Starkiller Base. _I'm not ready to fight, I'm not ready…_

He tried to hold the values of the First Order in his head… The First Order is powerful. The First Order bows to no enemy. The First Order is rightly named, because it will bring _order_ to the galaxy. FN 2187 couldn't hold on to these thoughts. He didn't feel powerful. In a weird juxtaposition to his dark thoughts, Jakku was beautiful when approached by starship. The midday sun's rays reflected off the golden sand dunes that covered the entire planet, bathing it an in ethereal glow. As the ship docked and the docking bay lowered, FN 2187 tried to think optimistically. Maybe whoever the enemy was would surrender quickly and there wouldn't be a battle. But somehow, he doubted it.

Poe Dameron wished that nightfall would come more quickly. He was tired of crouching in the sand dunes. However, he understood the need for secrecy: The map to Luke Skywalker mustn't fall into the hands of the First Order. He tried to stretch as inconspicuously as possible, while willing Jakku's sun to hurry up and set. In the Resistance, patience was not only a virtue but a survival. Still, he wished that Lor San Tekka was less paranoid. Poe glanced at his comm link again. **I HAVE A VITAL ARTIFACT THAT IS ESSENTIAL IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE FIRST ORDER. SEND A MESSENGER TO JAKKU IN THE** _ **USUAL**_ **PLACE. STEALTH AND SUBTLETY ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE SPIES ARE LURKING.**

 **LST.**

That was all. No, the message didn't mention Luke Skywalker. It was an inference based on General Leia Organa's reaction: Instead of being calm and focused, as she was famous for, she had been frantic, emotional, and, well… Poe Dameron was reluctant to describe the princess turned senator turned general as _crazy._ The woman was a legend and she'd done more for the Resistance/Rebellion than any other military figure. However, Poe knew that there were only two people that could get General Leia worked up like that: her husband Han Solo and her brother Luke Skywalker. Since Han had returned to his smuggling runs and Jakku was not a very profitable place, that left Luke Skywalker. Poe didn't pretend to understand the force, but he did understand that without Luke, millions of beings would've been slaughtered mercilessly by the empire. And maybe more importantly, Luke was some of the only family that General Leia had left. Yes, this was an important mission. Poe just wished that it would start _before_ he became a senior citizen.

BB-8 had a bad feeling about this. Droids don't have emotions and feelings the way people do, but they _were_ very smart. And although he was a machine, he had good intuition. His master, Poe Dameron, was impatient for the meeting to begin. The other Resistance members were similarly on edge. Understandably so. The First Order's new weapon, StarKiller Base, was reminiscent of the Death Star. But the Death Star couldn't annihilate five planets at once. The Death Star didn't drain an entire star to obtain energy. He and Poe _had_ to successfully carry out this mission, before more lives were lost. Systematically, he scanned the communication channels for any new messages from the Resistance - and instead he intercepted communications from StarKiller base. _Important mission *static* map *static* Jakku *lots of static* TRANSMISSION LOST._ BB-8 could only get those bits and pieces, but it was clear - he, Poe, Lor San Tekka, and all the Jakku villagers were in grave danger. He attempted to beep urgently while still maintaining his cover.

" _Shh,_ BB-8," Poe whispered, "We can't talk now." He gestured to the horizon, where Jakku's sun descended into darkness. " _It's time."_

Oh, yes, BB-8 had a _very_ bad feeling about this.

Kylo Ren could taste victory. Soon the map to Luke Skywalker would be complete. It was imperative that the last Jedi was destroyed. The Jedi were _evil._ Kylo Ren had many doubts, but this wasn't one of them. Doubts... lately, something had changed in the force. Relatively speaking, Kylo Ren hadn't trained his force powers very long. However, his subconscious knew better than his mind: his dreams pointed to a great shifting in the balance of the force. Kylo Ren wasn't a diviner. He couldn't see the future. But he saw bits and pieces: He faced his father, Han Solo. He battled two different people in a snow-covered forest with his lightsaber, but he sensed that neither of those people were Luke Skywalker. Finally, he only heard a disembodied voice. A woman's rang out clear and strong: "You...you're afraid...that you will never be as strong as _Darth Vader!"_ Whoever she was, she sounded absolutely certain. Well, she was wrong! Kylo Ren had easily defeated the few force users left. And once he found Luke Skywalker and killed him, nothing could stop him from rising to the top. Then he would be just as great as his grandfather, _maybe better._ And then after that, he would find the girl that taunted him in his dreams. He would show her how powerful he truly was. And he would smile as he choked the life out of her.

Yes, Kylo Ren thought as his ship approached Jakku, he _would_ succeed. So long as he kept resisting the pull of the light side, that is. He punched himself in the leg a few times. Pain was sometimes necessary to drive away the temptation of the light side. Kylo Ren would do whatever it took to succeed.

Finally, the sun set on Jakku. Lor San Tekka looked out the window of his hut. The Resistance had sent Poe Dameron to retrieve the map of Luke Skywalker. That was good. But the man sensed trouble on the horizon - secret dealings never stayed secret for long, especially when the First Order was involved. He hoped he could play his part in getting the map to the Resistance - whatever that part may be. He had a feeling, though, that he might not live that long.


	2. The Death of a Nerfherder Part 1: Leia

**Missed Moments Chapter 2**

 **The Death of a Nerfherder: Part 1**

 **Leia**

When Han died, Leia Organa-Solo felt it.

That shouldn't have been possible. While Leia was force-sensitive, Han was no jedi. Leia never even knew if Han truly believed in the Force, or if he just pretended he did for the sake of his son and of Luke.

 _Ben._ Her son had killed his own father!

 _No,_ she corrected herself hastily, _not Ben. Kylo Ren._

Ben and Kylo Ren were two different people. Ben was her little boy, the happy, eager Jedi Knight that wanted to use the force to save the galaxy. Kylo Ren was a broken man, deceived by Snoke's lies, convinced that the dark side was the right side. That was not her son.

Leia tried over and over to assure herself of this...but somehow she could no longer believe her words with such conviction. In murdering Han, Ben and Kylo Ren were... _connected._ Try as she might, Leia couldn't shake these thoughts. Her dread was further strengthened by the logic that perhaps it wasn't Han's death that she felt, but the hurt and rage Be- _Kylo Ren_ murdered him with. Pushing her fear away, Leia concentrated harder - was there any sign, any hope that Han was still alive?

No. Han was gone, Leia was sure of it. But wait - there _was_ some thing there, some _one_... _LUKE!_

Abruptly Leia transitioned from grief and heartbreak to pure joy.

 _Luke!_ she shouted through their bond, _Luke, it's me, Leia! I've been trying to talk to you for YEARS! How are you? Where are you? What -_

Leia froze. Luke's force presence was fading, pulling away. Leaving.

 _NO!_ screamed Leia _DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN! DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE…_

It was hopeless. Luke was gone - she had lost him. Again.

Leia lost it. She screamed and cried and kicked until she didn't know up from down and right from left and reality from illusion. She had lost her brother, her son, and her husband all in three minutes. She had lost her family. She was all alone again, really alone, for the first time since the destruction of Alderaan.

After a long time, Leia sat up. She dried her eyes. Grief gave way to anger - which reminded her of the mantra Luke insisted on repeating: Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

 _Suffering?_ She had been tortured and tormented by some of the evilest beings in the galaxy. Her home planet - and everyone on it - had been blown to smithereens. Han, Ben, and Luke were all dead (the latter were figurative, but true).

Screw the force, screw Luke and his Jedi code. There was one being she could blame for all her problems: Snoke. Snoke turned her son into something evil. Because of Snoke, Luke ran away. Because of Snoke, Han Solo was dead. Leia promised herself she would kill him if she ever got the chance. She would destroy him, just as he had destroyed her family. General of the Resistance be damned.


End file.
